The Years
by TR Lane
Summary: Two girls. Seven years. Eight Marauders. Join the journey.
1. Chapter 1 Ryan

**Hi all. We don't really expect anyone to read this, we're doing it purely for fun :) But in the case that someone is reading this, then- hi!**

**There are actually two of us- I'm Torrance and my best friend Remi is my partner in crime. So our story is kinda confusing. For every chapter there will be two parts- one from my characters perspective, and one from Remi's character's perspective. My character is Ryan Mencing while Remi's is Amory Finch. For each chapter it will look like two different chapters, but just know that they cover the same stuff from both perspectives.**

**The story will start the year Albus Severus Potter goes to Hogwarts. Exactly where the story will go... well, we're still figuring that out. We do know for sure that it will span all seven years of Hogwarts, but from that point on it's all up to the characters.**

**We'll be updating at least every two weeks, but hopefully more frequently than that. Chapters will vary in length, but definitely not in quality.**

**Reviews would be great, but we're not review whores... yet.**

**We hope you enjoy the story.**

**Torrance**

**Disclaimer: We don't own anything you recognize- all of it goes to the well-dressed JK Rowling. Cheers to her.**

Chapter 1- Ryan

It all started with that first pair of high-tops. While they were artfully faded and ripped by my mother's favorite designers, there wasn't really anything particular or unique about them to anyone besides me. They were my first show of active rebellion. I was nine then, so I still kept myself with one toe inside the line, but I was no longer sitting like the little passive good girl my mother and father expected me to be. The designers weren't that hard to contact- all i had to do was sneak into my parents house and look up the number on her assistant's computer. I didn't really have to sneak though. I could have stomped in and yelled my presence for all it mattered. Everyone who would have inhabited the house had left on a trip again. As soon as I stated my last name to the designers who had been doubtful about me, they made sure my shoes arrived the next day rain or shine. That's when I knew that Shakespeare had it all wrong. What's in a name? he asked. I wish I could have been there to inform him that there was a whole heck of a lot. The Mencing name was power.

I fell asleep that night under the cover of fragile excitement that comes from careful planning and a nearly complete plot.

The shoes arrived in the morning just as planned. They were perfect and I couldn't have been more happy. They were my quintessential baby step into rebellion. I slipped them on for the first time and didn't take them off unless absolutely necessary. The times that were deemed necessary were few and far between for it was I who decided when these times were.

When my parents and entourage returned from there trip to Spain or China or Italy or wherever their travels were my mother never noticed the shoes. She didn't so much as glance at me long enough to notice that the pre-approved patent designer ballet flats no longer enveloped my feet. In fact, she didn't glance at me long enough to say hello, how are you? for she did not even glance at me at all. How could she have when I was hundreds of meters away from her, watching from my balcony through the large French glass windows that encircled the spacious living room. The lap pool lay in-between us with its crystal bar and state-of-the-art pool house. I was alone in the 'Children's House' as my brother and I had dubbed it. It was more of solitary confinement than a house. When I had made the mistake at six years old of asking my mother why David and I had to live separately from them she stated with clear disdain that my father didn't need children distracting him from his important duties and that, really, my brother and I were better off elsewhere where we would be seen to perfectly by the help. She had then picked up her ever present newspaper and lifted it up until all I could see of her was eight sleek fingers adorned with a french manicure and an elegant sleek wedding ring. This view came to define my mother for me. The ring was platinum with a single sharp diamond, perfectly shined and cared for with a commanding, but impersonal, air to it. The hands were perfect- perfect size, perfect shape, perfect everything. They looked soft and smooth and as if they had never done work. I hated those hands.

After six months the shoes still fit perfectly and I couldn't have been happier. They were my favorite pair and I wished more than anything that they would always fit me. A year later they still fit me while my other shoes had been replaced at least four times because they were too small. My dirty clothes bin turned into more of a garbage bin than a place to be picked up and washed to be worn again. I was growing too fast to really become attached to any of the material good that were abundant in my family. Two years later the shoes still fit me. There must have been other signs that I was different, but the shoes became the only one that mattered.

I had always felt that I was different. How could I be the same as everyone else if I never interacted with people my age other than my brother. David was my most constant companion, but it had started to become less frequent visits and conversations. He was a junior at Oxford and he couldn't make it back to be with me as much as he would have liked to and certainly not as often as I wished for him to be there. David was my best friend, indeed he was my only friend. We were close in a way that only comes about from an absentee family. In the eight short years I had with him at home I depended upon him as my protector and my guiding light. When he left I was on my own. All that was left for me was the help and my tutors. They were all too scared of my mother's lashing tongue and quick temper to speak to me in any more than the most polite manner and the whispers that there was something different about the small Mencing girl certainly didn't help. There were quiet stories of vases breaking and a little girl that could get from the balcony to the roof in a single bound when she thought nobody was looking. I had heard these stories, I could hear them down in the kitchens while I lay on the roof. I assumed my hearing was exceptional, but as I looked down at the letter that had arrived in the post today I wondered if maybe there was something more.

The letter and the envelope it came in were both a heavy cream colored parchment. The envelope did not have a stamp and was addressed in sweeping crimson strokes. It was addressed to me, Ryan Mencing, but even stranger was _where_ it was addressed to- _The Children's House_. David and I had not told anyone that we mockingly called it The Children's House, we had been very careful. There was something very off about this letter. I carefully opened the letter while glancing around to make sure that neither the help or an early tutor would barge in on me.

_ Dear Ms. Ryan Mencing,_

_ I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted as a pupil into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

I drank in every word that was printed into the letter with a feeling akin to triumph and the belief that this was entirely too amazing to be true. The lists of book titles that I was supposed to buy at a mysterious _Diagon Alley_ were exotic and curious with words like 'charms' and 'transfiguration', or my personal favorite, 'potions.' At the bottom it noted that as a first year student I would be allowed one pet, either a cat, toad or owl. My brow furrowed at that and I wondered what in the world one would do with an owl? Even curiouser was the fact that first years were not allowed to bring broomsticks. The letter seemed to make a broomstick out as a privilege- but in what type of world would a broomstick be a privilege? If cleaning the floors was what this school considered fun and only applicable to students older than eleven, I most certainly did not want to know what was considered fun for the first years. It was at this point that I considered this all a joke, some sort of hoax or ruse. An angry employee who had been freshly fired from his employment by my mother had probably decided that it would be funny to go out with a bang by taking out his range on the little strange Mencing girl.

I feel a strange disappointment at that realization that this is all a hoax, as it must be. But I am also filled with a cruel sense of reality. Of course it wasn't real. Why would something so fantastic and... and.. simply _magical_ happen to me?

I took the letter and glared at each defined shape that had been stamped into the fine paper and then slowly tore it so that each fiber in the parchment slowly snapped. When all that remained was shreds of the previously majestic letter and it's envelope, I turned to the fireplace, fervently hoping that it was already lit so that i wouldn't have to call for the maid to light it while she would pretend not to be staring. Even though I knew there was no fire in the grate, as I turned around the unmistakable warmth of licking flames seemed to appear our of nowhere as I wished for them. My mind turned back to what the letter had said, that I was a witch with powers. I quickly turned from the thought and tried to convince myself that I had simply not noticed the warming fire before. When I had almost managed to convince myself of this fact, I threw the scraps of parchment into the fire all at once. Brushing my hands off from the fuzz that had come off of the paper during the tearing process, I started to turn from the fire when suddenly they turned a bright emerald green.

I stumbled back immediately and let out a small gasp before covering my mouth to prevent any other noises from popping out that would alert the help of anything wrong. And then, where there had just a few seconds ago been only burning parchment, was a very stately old lady whose posture defied the grey in her hair that was pulled back into a very tight bun. Her spectacles were thin rimmed and distinct, a type that were certainly not currently in style and might never have been. She was rather tall and would have been even without the blocky, but sensible, one inch black heels she wore. Another foot was added to her height by a very tall black pointed hat that tilted slightly to the side, the type that are sold with green face paint and cobwebs for a 'witch' costume. The dress she wore suited her with its powerful black tartan. Over her dress she wore an odd sort of coat. It could have been described as maybe heavy black wool made into some sort of judge's bath robe. Her eyes were bright and a shade of green that edged on grey. They were several shades darker than the color of the flames that she had just stepped out of, but out of everything, what really shocked me the most was the badge sewn upon the stately woman's robe thing. Even from my half-cowering position from across the room I could still make out the gold H that adorned the background of green, red, yellow, and blue.

It was that very same H that had been pressed onto both the envelope and letter that were currently scattered ashes.

I gasped again, unable to hold it in.

"Ms. Ryan Mencing, yes?" asked the lady. I held my breath for a moment and slowly breathed out through my nose before responding through a slight nod.

"Cat got your tongue?" she chucked as though there was something I didn't know- which was probably very likely. I felt like there was a lot I didn't know right then, "My name is Professor McGonagall. I am the Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and I am here explain to you that the letter you just threw into the fire was indeed very real and that you, Ms. Mencing, are no ordinary girl."

After eleven years of being called abnormal I was used to it, but there was something different about the way she said it. When she said it I was almost glad I wasn't 'normal', being the opposite was better.

"You are what we call a muggleborn," she continued and addressed my silent question, "A muggle is someone who does not posses magic. A muggleborn is someone who has magic, but is born to two muggles. This is your case. Have you noticed anything strange around you? Things happening that aren't percieved as possible, situations aligning themselves to benefit you?"

My first thought was of the high-tops which I was wearing at that very moment. I glanced down at them and the Professor noticed.

"They are my favorite," I said as my first words to someone with magic, "These shoes. I got them nearly two years ago and they still fit, but everything else I have I grow out of within the month. Is that magic?"

Professor McGonagall sternly inclined her head slightly, but I saw a slight twinkle in her eye that put me somewhat more at ease.

"Indeed, your power can manifest itself in many ways when you are young. This is one of them."

I looked at my well-worn shoes with renewed awe, much like the day when they had first arrived. She then continued.

"You will go to Platform Nine and Three Quarters at King's Cross Station on Euston Road on September first. The train leaves at eleven o'clock sharp, so do not be late. I will be back tomorrow at nine in the morning to take you to Diagon Alley where we will purchase your supplies. Now, I'm afraid I must go for I have one more muggleborn to attend to," Professor McGonagall reached into her pocket and brought out an antique compact. The compact held glittering emerald green dust much like the flames that had brought her here and I knew that this powder must somehow make the fire that way. I realized as she took out a pinch of the stuff that she was really going to leave.

"Wait!" I rushed forward, "But I have so many questions!"

She turned back to me and gave me a small smile.

"I have learned through experience, Ms. Mencing, that many questions are answered if one only has the patience. Remember, nine am sharp. Good day," she concluded and with that the powder went into the fire and she stepped inside it before spinning away.

I sat down on my bed and stared at the fire. I remained this way for what must have been a half an hour, but I could not bring myself to move. It was only when the words 'boarding school' floated through my head that I realized I had a problem. If I was going to be gone most of the year, what would my parents think? But just as quickly I realized that this was not that big of a problem. It had only been a built in reaction that came from reading too many stories with concerned parents. I saw my mother rarely, my father barely at all. When I did see my mother it was either in passing and never very important or at important functions where we would all have to act as one happy, perfect family unit. Only at these events did I glimpse my father. I just had to keep up enough of a ruse that would keep anyone from noticing or caring at those functions. All I needed was my brother.

By the time that David finally picked up the phone it had been hours- tea and dinner had been eaten and I was curled up in my bed calling him over and over again praying he would finally answer. When he finally did I was relieved.

"Hello, sis, whats the matter? What is wrong?" he asked with obvious concern. It was not often that he got over fifty missed calls from his sister, in fact, it had never happened before.

"David! Hello! No, nothings wrong, well...sort of," I replied and proceeded to explain to him that I was going away to a boarding school in England, but that our parents had no notion of this nor did I want them to. All I needed from him was to cover for me the few times our entire family was together.

"And how do you suppose I do that?" he asked.

"Just come up with some excuse for me... tell them I'm on a trip to help the victims in Haiti or that I'm visiting my friend whose father is the Duke of Canterbury or something of that nature. Just make it believable and noble enough that they can brag about it to the press and get away with it."

"Alright Ry. I'll do it, but you better write me from your boarding school. Are you sure it's just a normal boarding school that you just randomly decided you wanted to go to?" he asked. I could hear the suspicion in his tone through the phone and I knew he scrunching his eyebrows and narrowing his eyes on the other side of the line, just like he always does when he's trying to figure something out.

"Yeah David, promise. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I have to go now. Thank you Dav, really. I'll miss you! Love you, bye," I promised him.

"Bye little sis. Love you too. And for the love of God, write me," he said and then hung up with a clear _click_.

I dropped the phone onto my bed side table and collapsed onto my king sized silk covered bed. I needed to get to sleep because tomorrow was a huge day. Tomorrow was going to be a new day. Tomorrow was going to be the start of a new life. Tomorrow, I was going to Diagon Alley.

Tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 1 Amory

**Torrance said it all, but I wanted to say hi anyway :) I want to add how elated I am to be posting this! When Torrance first mentioned creating something like this on the phone I actually started screaming and jumping around my room, tripping on binders, clothes, and the rest of my room that is essentially piled onto the floor in one big mess. Kind of random... But you get the picture. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my first chapter and Amory as much as you enjoyed Ryan... If not more.**

**Remi**

**Disclaimer: We're are not the owners of anything, we did not create this amazing world. We only chose for our characters to live in it. Creds to JK Rowling!**

Chapter 1- Amory

The wind blew back my hair, and although it felt amazing, I knew it was going to be a tangled mess by the time I came down again. Looking around me, I saw trees and houses that looked the size of gnomes. Cold and bitter, the air slapped at my cheeks and hands. Windswept tears sprung to my eyes and I let them fall down my cheeks. The cold felt like competition, a force to battle with in an empty landscape, as if the sky were preparing me for what was to come in the one way it could. I tightened my grip on my broom and flew upwards until I could barely tell which house was mine. I could always tell though. If I looked really hard, I could spot a dot of purple in the grasslands near the river.

I started flying slightly north. I could fly to Bruno's with my eyes closed and both hands tied behind my back balancing on a Nimbus 2000. Although from up here most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the buildings and roads below, I always knew which one was Bruno's. First, there were always a lot of cars parked on the grass outside, an unusual sight for where I lived. Second, there were always broomsticks hovering around the place, kept in tact by safety charms. But I would have been able to tell without any broomsticks or cars. I just knew. My sister always said that my brain was programmed for the skies. I could navigate them without a wand, compass, or map and still arrive where I wanted to go on time.

The shield was located about a quarter mile beyond Bruno's. It was almost transparent, but there was a glossy quality to it, making it look like a photograph instead of a downhill slope to a muggle city. I wasn't sure how it worked exactly. Bruno had tried explaining it to me once, but all I really understood was that it kept the muggles out. I started the descent to the ground and arrived faster then I had expected. My new broom was incredible. The Firebolt 2.0, released only yesterday was the fastest model ever made and I could officially say that it was _my _broomstick. I had been saving money for a year, waiting for it to be released. I had ordered it specially, and yesterday it had finally arrived in the post.

I walked up the back steps, smiling at the sign on the back door that read:

BrUnO's KiTcHeN. EmPlOyEeS _**OnLy**_.

As I walked in, Marci lifted her head from the stove and waved.

"Hey Amory! You're here early! How's it going?" Her voice, light and chirpy, perked up as she spoke.

"Pretty good," I said nodding at my broomstick. Marci's eyes widened.

"That's it?" She asked as she waved her wand at the pancakes on the stove that flipped themselves over.

"Yep," I grinned. Marci abandoned the pancakes and walked over to me with her hands out. She reached for the broomstick.

"Nope," I said, pushing it behind me and grinning. "Although, I am _really_ hungry this morning... and I left all my money at home... and my broom is really really new... and amazing. It puts the Firebolt 1.5 to shame. But.. I don't really want anyone riding it. If it broke it would break my heart... and my stomach," Marci rolled her eyes.

"Free breakfast?" she asked.

"Done."

I hadn't paid for breakfast at Bruno's in years.

Marci's eyes glinted.

"For once we made a fair deal," she said as she turned back to the stove.

"What would you like for break… Oops!" The pancakes had started to blacken. She flipped them onto a plate with her wand.

"Those are yours, Ames." I shrugged. Anything Marci made tasted amazing, burned or not.

"Is Bruno around?" I asked. Marci nodded.

"He's by the lake yelling at workers and handing out extra towels and lotions."

"Anything new with him?" I asked.

"The usual. He fired me yesterday."

"What happened?"

"I was playing with my pygmy puff instead of working. You know how he is," she smiled. I nodded. Ever since Bruno had inherited the club from his father everything had to be perfect. He transformed the mediocre country club into a comfortable place to hang out. There were a couple hotel rooms upstairs, but it was a strict one night only policy. The only time I had ever seen Bruno break that policy was when the Minister of Magic had come to stay last year. It had been all over the Daily Prophet. Ellie had made a point to cut out that article and put it up in the living room. I turned to Marci, faking concern.

"Was he serious?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"Nah. All I had to do was give him a kiss and it was back to business as usual." She laughed and we both smiled. It had been one of the best moments of my life when I found out my two favorite people in the world were getting married. The best of all had been this morning and that was why I was here so early in the first place. Usually, I didn't come to the club until around ten when everything had settled down for the day. Seven was prime rush hour for all the witches and wizards stopping for a quick breakfast. As for Bruno and Marci, they had been dating about two years when he proposed, but only two minutes later she had accidentally dropped the ring in pancake batter.

I walked outside and found Bruno offering towels to an elderly wizard couple. He owned everything within a ten-mile radius but still insisted on doing the small stuff-like handing out towels-himself. He believed that the details defined the club. As I waited for him to finish up his conversation my mind drifted back to that morning.

I had woken up to a shrill cry from the kitchen. It was my sister, Katie. Her job was to collect the mail. While the only reason I would ever get up early was to ride my broom, Katie was always reliably up at the crack of dawn. Jumping out of bed, I had sprinted into the hallway and then the kitchen praying that it was finally here. Katie was standing next to an important looking owl while holding a letter. The letter had a stamp with a beaver, a lion, a serpent, and an eagle on it.

"This isn't…" I was breathless with excitement.

"It is!" Katie's voice was ecstatic. "It's addressed to you. Open it! Right now! Open it now Amory!" I grabbed the letter out of Katie's hands. It was a thick cream colored envelope, and I ripped through the seal in one swipe. Several pieces of parchment fell onto the wood floor. I picked one up and read:

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Booklist.**_

Katie squealed, and threw her arms around me.

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew you would get it. You've been expecting it for forever! Oh my gosh, I knew you would get it! I can't believe it came! What does it say? Read it to me! Read_ all_ of it to me! Will you get to bring your broom? What animal do you want? Do you know who your professors are yet or do you find that out once you get there? Is there a letter from Professor McGonagall in there? Oh! I want to see her signature!" And on and on and on…

Bruno finished his conversation and as he turned away, he noticed me.

"Wow, Ames. You're here early. What happened? Did Marci give you a free breakfast again? I was just telling her five minutes ago that she is such a push over. She just doesn't know how to say no. She better not…"

"Bruno, I got my letter." The words came out in a rush. He froze.

"Did you really?"

"Yes! It came in the post today. Katie freaked."

A smile spread over Bruno's tan face and his green eyes sparkled. He pulled me in for a hug.

"Congratulations Ames! We all knew you would get it!" I smiled.

"Thanks. I wanted to tell you…"

"…So you came flying her early. Are you allowed to bring…"

"…My broomstick? I don't know. It says first years can't, but I don't know how I'll survive without it. And they always make…"

"Exceptions," Bruno finished, "I mean look at Harry Potter. He didn't know how to ride a broom until his first year and he still made the team as seeker! And you've been flying brooms before…"

"…I could walk. Yeah, I know." Bruno and I were constantly finishing each other's sentences. He wore a mask of maturity, but he was secretly a kid at heart. His eyes traveled to the broomstick I still held in my right hand.

"Oh, she's a beauty. I can't wait to get one myself."

"I know. It's amazing, it really is. I already promised…"

Marci appeared in the doorway holding the plate of burned pancakes.

"AMORY! Come get your breakfast! And I want that broomstick!"

"She didn't…" Bruno's face hardened, but his eyes were still sparkling. Marci spotted Bruno, and gestured to me frantically.

"Oops! Come on Ames, hurry. I'm going to get… um…._ It's_ going to get cold." She glanced at Bruno. He was shaking his head disapprovingly at her. I skip-ran over to Marci, took the plate, and handed her the broomstick. As I walked away, I heard Bruno's voice.

"Come on honey! You got to be kidding me. We would have ten times more money if it weren't for Ames! I know we both love her but…" His voice cut off. As I glanced back, I saw his arms unfold across his chest and around her waist as Marci kissed him. I smiled, and went to find a table where I could eat my chocolate chip banana pancakes.

"You think she will be okay?" Marci asked Bruno, anxiously. Bruno nodded slowly, putting his arm around his wife's waist. His eyes were still trained on the door where I had disappeared a minute ago.

"Her life is absolutely perfect," Bruno said thoughtfully, and my eyebrows furrowed at his tone. I stood with one hand on the door behind me, having gone to search for maple syrup because the kitchen was out. I was about to ask what they were talking about, but before I could Bruno spoke again.

"It's not going to be fun for her to discover that the world isn't one big broomstick and pancake fairytale." Marci looked at him sharply.

"You think she'll be okay though, right? I mean with that kind of past… and the way she lives now. She doesn't know that. She's too ignorant. And it isn't like she loves change."

There was something in her tone that reminded me of Bruno's, but I knew what it was this time. Marci had always been the easier one to read.

"She'll manage," Bruno said firmly, his eyes still on the door and his voice a low growl. "She's a fighter and so were her parents. Yes, both of them," he said before Marci could protest.

I had never heard hatred in Bruno or Marci's voice before, but it was unmistakable. Marci must have opened her mouth, but she closed it now, nodding to herself as if admitting something she didn't want to believe true. I turned, and without a goodbye, grabbed my broomstick from where Marci had left it and kicked off the ground.

The wind had calmed down and the sun was shining. I cut through the air like a knife slicing through warm butter. Usually I smiled when I was flying, but that was the last thing I felt like doing at the moment. The conversation whirled around in my head. _I'm innocent? What is the world like? Who were my parents?_

I heard Bruno's voice over and over again saying the world isn't a fairytale, but it was the tone that got me. Marci and Bruno loved everyone. _What had my parents done to them to make them talk like that? And if they are so bad, why do Marci and Bruno still love me?_ I flew faster and faster, so fast I was almost out of control. I needed to reach home. I needed to talk to Darcy. He would tell me this time. I would make him.

The first sign of my house was the purple streak on the ground. As I got closer, the purple formed into a rickety five story-not including the attic-house that was painted a light lavender. I hovered thirty feet above the ground trying to gain composure. I knew what I was going to need to get through before I could talk to my brother. After a minute of deep breaths, I descended and hovered near the ground. Darcy saw me from one of the million windows, and waved. I waved back in what I hoped to be a nonchalant way. Dismounting my broom, I walked around the house to the broom shed. I pulled open the shed's door, and an old Nimbus 3000 fell out along with a couple spiders. I needed to clean it out again. Spiders loved the shed and there are always at least three hand-sized spiders living there. That's why I had my dad create my own special locker for my new broom. It was made of metal and charmed so it wouldn't open unless I tapped it four times. If anyone else tried to open it, it could have told me who it was, and how many times they tapped. The only person who could access my broom besides me was Darcy.

After storing my broomstick I walked to the back door as quietly as possible. No luck. It opened with a creek and Katie came rushing to me.

"Where were you Amory?" She asked, tugging on my sweater. I lifted her up into a hug and gave her a fake smile.

"I was at Bruno's you silly goose! You need to go down there with me soon and try some of Marci's new chocolate chip banana pancakes. She has this new cinnamon that makes them even better!" Turning away from my sister, I called to the kitchen in a cracked voice.

"Hey Mom, I'm back." I heard a small scream, a thump, and a curse, and Ellie came running into the hall. Although I called her Ellie behind her back, I had never failed to call her Mom when she was listening. She technically wasn't my Mom, but I always called her that anyway. To her face, that is. She said that when I was little it would have been too complicated to try and explain to me that she and Rob weren't my real parents.

"You scared me sweetie!" She said rubbing her head.

"How did I scare you? I was in the hallway. The reason I yelled from the hallway was so that I wouldn't scare you when I walked past the kitchen." I said a little colder then I meant too. Ellie was always jumpy: jumping around the house, up the stairs, or of course at any given sound that wasn't silence or her abysmal singing.

"Well, I was looking up the chimney because I need to call in Charlie to come look at it because… Well you know. You were here the other day when your father tried to come home by flu powder cause he was working late," she sighed, "I told him just losing weight would be a better idea then expanding the chimney so his sorry stomach can fit through it, but he insists that he is perfectly fine with his weight. Which of course leaves me wondering if we actually should be concerned about his weight because if he isn't complaining about something then we usually need to worry about it. I mean I know he isn't overweight, but maybe he means something else like he is stealing the cookies every night and it isn't that pesky pixie that I can't seem to find around the house that he swears he saw once…"

And on and on and on… The only reason I was glad I wasn't Ellie's real daughter was that if I had been I probably would have been just as talkative as she was. I nodded and listened for a couple more minutes, and when she seemed to be done, I turned to walk upstairs.

'"Oh, and sweetie…" Ellie called after me.

"Yeah Mom," I replied.

"Get ready for a big day tomorrow. We are going to collect your things for Hogwarts at Diagon alley. I talked to your father and he is so proud of you. Me and him both. We love you so much darling." I nodded half-listening, and headed down the hallway before she could say anything else that would lead to a ten-minute lecture. I climbed the first set of stairs and paused at the landing. In a quiet voice I said:

"Darcy?" he opened the door immediately and soundlessly.

"Quick! Get in here." His eyes had that tint of mischief in them. Unsmiling, I entered his room. Darcy wasn't my brother, he was Ellie and Rob's son, but I referred to him as my brother because he fulfilled the application perfectly: sometimes annoying, but usually supportive and quick to give me advice on everything he knew a sentence about. He was less talkative then Ellie and Katie, but still a big conversation maker. He just knew the limitations, probably from growing up with both of them. His room was painted electric blue with posters of Quidditch teams covering the ceiling. He put most of his posters on the ceiling because he loved the color of his walls too much to cover them. In the middle of his room was an open suitcase with only a few things inside it. _Of course_! I thought. He had already started packing. On his wall near the window was a calendar counting down the days until September 1st. I had never understood why he did that, but apparently it was a Gryffindor trend that had been started by Harry Potter when he was at school.

"What?" I whispered to Darcy, so Katie wouldn't hear. Her room was right next door to Darcy's, and so when Darcy and I were together we were usually whispering just out of habit.

"I figured out how to get your broomstick into Hogwarts!" He beamed at me.

"How?"

"You give it to me and I take it with me in my luggage. Since this is my second year, I'm allowed to have a broomstick. So I can pretend like it's mine and…"

"There's no way I'm giving you my broomstick!" I made a face at him. He rolled his eyes.

"Okay, so then I guess you aren't taking it to Hogwarts. And it's brand new, too. What a shame. But it's okay. Your going to have flying classes once a week so you can just ride one of the school brooms then, right?" I glared at him.

"You break it and I kill you. And then you pay for it," I said.

"Done," He smiled at me, and I returned it, rolling my eyes at him.

"You're going to have the time of your life, Ames! I know you will," my fake smile faltered.

"Everyone keeps saying stuff like that, but is it really true?" I asked him. It was the first time I had voiced the question aloud, but by no means the first time I had thought it, even before I got my letter.

"I mean," I continued, "It would be so much easier if I just knew who my parents were. I would feel more comfortable I guess. I know that's dumb, but it's true. Mom will only tell me their first names, and that they died fighting… _him_… and that's it. And I know you know, Darcy. I know you know. Will you really send me there not knowing?"

Darcy shook his head. I had asked him a million times, and it was starting to wear him down. I could tell.

"I mean what could be so bad about them? Did they abandon me? Is that it? Are they really dead?" Darcy sighed and looked at me. I looked at him expectantly.

"Okay, the only reason I'm going to tell you is because you can't start school without knowing your past. That's one of the things I learned my first year. I don't think many know about you though. Ellie, Rob, and everyone tried to keep everything under the radar."

"Everyone?"

"Yeah. How do you think Mom and Dad knew Marci and Bruno?" It was a simple question I had never bothered to ask.

"They went to school with them?" He nodded.

"They were all in Hufflepuff together along with your Dad."

"Calandra and Michael," I said, naming my parents. But Darcy shook his head.

"Only Michael. Just your Dad," he said.

"Then where was Mom?" I asked. Darcy paused, unsure.

"I really shouldn't be telling you this, Ames."

"Where was my Mom, Darcy?"

"Slytherin."

I stood speechless as he explained everything.

I closed the door quietly, and peeked through the hole in the wood that Darcy had yet to discover. He was leaning back against his closet door with his head in his hands. I wondered if convincing him to tell me had been a bad idea. But Darcy was right. I understood why Ellie didn't want me to know. She had witnessed the biggest war in history. I watched Darcy as he kicked the dresser, muttered a curse, and then went out of my view through the wood door. I shook my head in silent disgust, pushing myself away from his room, and standing on the landing. The war was still going on for Ellie. It would always be. The thought of a peaceful world would never cross her mind. Her mind was permanently stained by the war and by the crime Calandra had committed; that unforgettable, unforgivable act that cost both my parents their lives. For Ellie the war would never be over. Not when someone you love could betray you like you were nothing more then dust.

Suddenly, tears were streaming down my cheeks. My throat burned as I ran up the remaining stairs into my room, and slammed the door. I sat on my bead reading my letter frantically over and over again until the tears slowed. I stared out my window that overlooked the backyard. A gnome had fallen into the fishpond and was splashing around trying to get out. The grass was wilted and the overgrown flowers obscured the walkway completely. A butterfly floated by my window. It hit the glass briefly before it flew higher and out of sight. My stereo was still playing from this morning, and I pushed my window open so sunlight and warmth flooded into the room.

I was going to prove that I was nothing like my mother. My mind was determined now. And every second left me more so. And standing there, with the freedom of summer washing over my face, I made a promise to myself. If I wanted something I was never going to let up until I achieved it.

I leaned out the window and slipped through, climbing onto the roof. I lay back, and watched the sun make its way over the sky. I stayed up there until sunset, imagining myself flying. I'm not sure if I fell asleep or not, but next thing I knew Ellie was calling me for dinner. I pulled myself back through the window, and put the letter back on my bed. I glanced down at the part about the four houses, and sighed.

Only one thought was clear in my mind: I hope I'm not in Slytherin.


	3. Chapter 2 Ryan

You know that 'two weeks at most' deadline that Remi and I gave ourselves?

Not happening.

You can blame me more than Remi because her chapter was ready _weeks_ ago, but I tend to take longer. Which means that updates will probably be a bit sporadic. But, the good part of this is that we do put tons of effort into each chapter! I know my first chapter was comparatively short, but I think I made up for it in this chapter. You'll meet a lot of the important characters in Chapter 2- including the meeting of Amory and Ryan.

As always, we hope you enjoy the chapters!

Reviews would be pretty chill- and shocking ;)

Happy Day Before Leap Day

3

Torrance

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the Harry Potter world belongs to JK Rowling, who is obviously not me. If she were, then I would have an English accent and the world would be a better place.

Chapter 2- Ryan

I'm a night person. I'd be up at twelve feeling like I could run a marathon (not literally, of course, since I hated running) only to wake up at eight feeling like some sort of dead sloth.

Yet the next morning I was awake at five AM regardless of the fact that I'd only fallen asleep a couple of hours earlier. Never in my life had I been so excited or nervous. I stared up at my ceiling, wondering what I'd be thinking in twenty four hours... or even in two.

It was another hour before I got out of bed and walked to my closet. It was then that I was faced with my first decision of the day- what in the world was I going to wear? Professor McGonagall wore her robes and I figured that's what everyone else wore. I obviously didn't own any, so I was left with my regular clothes. Well, if I was going to look different no matter what, then I was going to wear exactly what I wanted. I decided on my most favorite of outfits- dark blue skinny jeans, a very light knit long sleeved sweater with thick blue and white stripes, and, of course, my converse.

I looked around my room. Was there anything I needed to take? I didn't know if wizards used pounds or not, but I slipped the credit card that I'd been given in case of emergencies into my back pocket. I did so just in time because I looked up and Professor McGonagall stepped out of my fireplace.

"Ah, Ms. Mencing. Let's be off now," she said as she handed me her compact filled with glittering emerald green powder.

"Floo Powder," she said in response to my silent question, "You put some into the fire and then step in. Clearly state the place you wish to go and try not to empty your stomach when you get there. Off you go now. Make sure and say 'Diagon Alley.' We've had mishaps with that in the past."

I looked at the professor incredulously. Had she really just told me to step into a fire and shout out a place I'd never heard of before? Her serious and slightly impatient face made me realize that, yes, in fact, she did expect that. With one slightly shaking hand I took a pinch of the powder and cringed when the flames turned emerald. I slowly took a step towards the fire and newspaper headlines flashed through my head. 'Eleven-year-old girl Ryan Mencing Dies in a Fireplace...What Was She Doing?', 'Ryan Mencing DIES', 'A Girl Set Herself on Fire in a Failed Attempt at Arson.' I thought all of these and more and yet still I knew that nothing would ever stop me from entering that fireplace.

One yell of 'DIAGON ALLEY' later and I was stumbling out of a fireplace fighting the urge to heave my stomach onto the floor in front of me. The floor. It was wood and a light caramel color that was gleaming. As my head slowly cleared I looked around. I had somehow managed to end up on the floor with what seemed like a million books around me. The books had covers in deep jewel colors and titles in golden calligraphy and were piled hap-hazardly everywhere. It was like someone before had been like me and fallen out of the fireplace and into a convenient pile of hard covered books. Whoever they were, I was glad it hadn't be me.

Another gleam of gold caught my eye. It was more calligraphy, but this time it was on a sign. _**Flourish and Blotts. **_I felt a grin start to creep up on my face. Even the name of the shop sounded magical.

A sharp cough brought me back to reality- and the fact that I was still sitting on the floor of a busy store. I blushed and quickly scrambled to my feet and brushed off my jeans before turning around to face Professor McGonagall.

"Come along Ms. Mencing. There's lots to do today," she said and without another word she walked out of the shop and into the street.

The first place we went was a tall, elegant marble building. There was a constant flow of people going in and out of it. When I looked closer I gasped and stopped. That was _not_ a human. Barely three feet tall with a head almost twice the size of that of a humans and giant pointed ears, the creature was truly a sight to see.

"Professor McGonagall, what is that?" I asked.

"That is a goblin. They manage Gringotts."

"Gringotts?"

"Yes, the wizarding bank. It's the safest place in the world, besides Hogwarts of course," she answered. I looked at the majestic building again and decided that it did seem like a bank. The most glorious bank of all time.

We walked up the stairs and entered. Professor McGonagall looked at me as though she expected me to gasp again, but I didn't. Impressive as the grand hallway was, it was awfully similar to the many ballrooms I had been paraded around. The only difference were the goblins sitting behind tellers. The professor brought me up to one of them and primly stated, "Ryan Mencing here to open an account."

The goblin looked at me for a long second before slowly nodding.

"Yes, yes, I see. Level of security?" he asked in a high and oddly gravely voice. It was the voice of another world and one that creeped me out.

"Normal?" I guessed. He nodded and pulled out a bronze key. It was small, but thick and had a weight. The goblin dropped the key into my hand and as the metal met my flesh it seemed to grow warm.

"No one but you will be able to access this account now. The key has bonded with your flesh and not even potions can recreate that," he said with a sense of finality. I smiled before I saw a major loophole in the whole enterprise.

"Professor McGonagall?"

"Yes, Ms. Mencing?"

"I don't have any wizarding money to put into my account..." I said hesitantly. She smiled and shook her head.

"You do, it just needs to be converted. If you'll just hand over that credited money card to Mr. Rippipe here we can make the exchange," she said. It took me a moment to realize she meant the credit card in my back pocket. I didn't even question how she knew I had it as I handed it over. The goblin snatched it from my hand abruptly and slid it through a strange wooden block that made a quiet tinkering sound. He handed it back to me and picked up the small piece of parchment that the machine had spat out. Without a word he handed that to me as well and said, "Follow me."

I followed him and Professor McGonagall down the hall and we came upon a small and rickety looking cart on tracks that led into darkness. I didn't really want to get on the cart, but I didn't want to be left behind either so I stepped into it and sat down with Professor McGonagall across from me. With a sudden jolt the cart started rolling. It went at a nice, easy pace down a slight incline and I thought that maybe the ride wouldn't be so bad after all.

I was wrong.

Without any warning the track seemed to disappear and we were flying at light speed straight down with empty space below us. I screamed loudly in fright and then with adrenaline as the cart sped up down the steep incline. Every time I went on roller coasters or rides like this cart it never failed to surprise me how much I loved it.

My hair flying back, the wind taking the breath right from my cheeks, the way my stomach dropped and was replaced with fireworks. Professor McGonagall seemed to enjoy it just as much as me, if not more as she laughed out loud and smiled with abandon.

When the cart eventually stopped I reluctantly got out of it. In front of me was a massive, gray door. The only unusual thing about the door was the fact that in the center was an oval of gravity defying molten gold. Otherwise the door was plain and I wondered where to put the key. When I asked Rippipe what to do he indicated that I should place the key into the oval.

As soon as I did the liquid started to suck the key into its depths, but when the key was gone it kept on pulling _me_ as the size of the oval grew big enough to fit my entire body. The pulling was surprisingly strong and I only had time to shout out a quick "HELP!" before I was completely submerged. The material was warm and smooth and I was still for a moment, but then just as quickly the pulling sensation became one of pushing and I was unceremoniously dumped out on the other side.

As I got up I stared in surprise. Instead of the cold, hard square structure I had been expecting I was faced with a large, high-ceilinged room the same bronze color as my key. There were lighter bronze rugs on the ground and shelves in a deep bronze. There were even two bronze armchairs. In the right back corner I saw something much more similar to what I had been expecting- a large safe with a turning wheel, but no keypad. I started to walk towards it, but then turned back around to the door. Where were Professor McGonagall and the goblin?

The door looked much the same from this end and I could see the liquid material quickly seeping back into it's original shape. The only difference was that the bronze color had changed to clear and it now functioned effectively like glass so that I could see through it like a window. The goblin had his face pressed up to it and was pointing diagonally to the left. I looked where he was pointing and saw a convenient doorknob. Why couldn't that knob have been on the other side?

I pulled it open and the goblin pushed through with Professor McGonagall.

"What was the point of all that if there was a door knob?" I asked. The goblin looked at me like it should be the simplest answer in the world.

"Security measures, of course. Regardless of who had the correct key to the vault, only you could have gotten through the body scan. Anyone else that had been pulled through would have found the scan cold and hard. Their body temperatures would have dropped so low that their blood would freeze. After a slow and painful death their bodies would be pushed back the way they had came."

I shuddered at the image and pushed it out of my mind as I turned my attention to the vault. If this was the _normal_ security level, then what the heck was the advanced one?

"So why is there so much space in here? I don't have much money, do I? And it's in that safe regardless," I asked the goblin as he lead us to the safe.

"We goblins do not decide neither how much space a room has, nor the way it is furnished. Only Gringotts can decide that. Count yourself lucky that you have so much space; it can only bode well for your financial future. You're also wrong on the second count. You already have a substantial amount of money- over 1 million galleons."

Professor McGonagall balked at that. I looked at her.

"While we knew that your family was wealthy in the muggle world, Ms. Mencing, we were not aware of _how_ wealthy," she said. I looked down and tried to shrug away the uncomfortable feeling that always came whenever someone talked about my family's money. Luckily, the goblin got our attention as he pointed at the safe.

At closer inspection I saw that the vault only had a spinning wheel and a hole on the surface. How was I supposed to open it? The goblin anticipated my question.

"This hole here is where you insert your wand, although I presume you do not already have one as you are not poking and prodding it in the air yet. Once you insert your wand all you have to do is turn the wheel, however, make sure that you are the only one who touches it because the material is the same as that at the door and the effects are identical."

I nodded rigorously and once again noted that stealing from Gringotts did not seem like the smartest plan.

"Wait, but then how will I get money now? I don't have a wand, you were right about that," I asked.

"Luckily, I guessed that you didn't have a wand, so I made it so that this one time I may open it for you as a Gringotts goblin. But this is only applicable to this one time," he responded.

I smiled and stepped aside so that he could reach up [he was so short that the wand hole was a good stretch for him] and touch the lock. After he did I turned the wheel and the safe opened to reveal a pile of gold so high I had to crane my head to look up at it. Professor McGonagall handed me a plain brown bag to put my money in and I made a note to buy a cuter one- maybe in light blue.

Once I had filled my bag to the brim with thick golden coins called galleons and two smaller coins, sickles and knuts, the goblin lead us back to the cart and out of Gringotts. As I stepped outside of the bank I was hit again by Diagon Alley's assault on my senses. Would I ever get used to this? How could I? Diagon Alley was amazing.

Now that getting money was out of the way, our first stop was the apothecary where I would get my potions ingredients. The store was only a short walk down the cobblestone walkways of Diagon Alley. It had a dark green awning and silver, spindly cursive that spelled out 'The Apothecary.' Right before I could step into the mysterious shop, however, Professor McGonagall stopped me.

"We only have a limited amount of time here and I know you'll be wanting to look around more, so you can run off and I'll find you when I've finished my business here and gotten your stuff. Then, we'll go get your wand," she said.

I grinned and almost hugged her I was so happy. Her stern look stopped me from hugging her though, so I stammered out a 'thank you, thank you _so _much professor.' I turned around and practically skipped out into the middle of the street.

Hmm... where to? I turned in a circle as I looked around at the shops. Each was just as attractive and appetizing as the next and I couldn't decide where to go. Finally a large group of kids my age caught my eye and I hurried over to the shop window that was enticing them so much.

This store had a maroon awning and 'Quality Quidditch Supplies' was written across it in large gold letters. All I could see in the window display that amazed the other kids was some sort of fancy broomstick... why were they looking at a broomstick? OHH. This must be what the letter was referring to when it said that first years couldn't bring a broomstick. I still had no idea why someone would want a broomstick, but now I knew where I could find out.

Without hesitating I walked into the 'Quidditch' shop. The inside was crammed with ten times as many people as the group outside. The store was shelf after shelf of broomstick models and what seemed to be other Quidditch paraphernalia. On the walls were what looked like posters at first glance, but they were moving!

I gaped at the moving photos that were more realistic that any movie in the muggle world. They were _so cool_. The pictures showed people in robes riding broomsticks and throwing ball things- in the air. I almost laughed. It looked like the muggle world wasn't far off- witches and wizards _did_ ride brooms- it was a sport!

A stack of books caught my attention and I grabbed An Introduction to Quidditch and then on a whim I added Quidditch Through the Ages: Part 1 and Quidditch Through the Ages: Part 2 as well. I hurried through the store to the line up to the cash register. Luckily the line wasn't too long and I only had a pair of blonde twins in front of me.

The blond twins were identical, and scarily so. They each wore a light blue shirt and white skinny jeans with grey vans and had identical brooms in their hands. As I stared at them and the way they even scratched their faces the same way, they turned around and looked at me. As we made eye contact I realized they were older than I thought, maybe around thirteen or fourteen. They kept staring at me as if they expected me to back down.

No. Way.

I held their unblinking gaze for what seemed like hours, but was probably only four minutes before the shopkeeper called them up to the front to buy their brooms. They finally broke eye contact and strode to the counter. When they finished buying their goods I walked up, but they stopped me as we passed each other. They both stuck out their hands.

"Fink," one said and shook my hand.

"Landon," the other said and shook my hand again. I looked at the two of them in surprise. I thought they would have insulted me or something, yet here they were introducing themselves.

"Ryan," I replied. The two of them looked at each other and nodded before slyly smiling.

"Nice to meet you Ryan-" said Fink.

"We'll see you around," finished Landon, and without waiting for a response they seemed to disappear into the shop and out the door.

"Um.. bye?" I said even though I knew they wouldn't be able to hear me. I paid and then followed their path out the door where I promptly tripped on a protruding cobblestone and got pushed by someone walking by. I barely managed to catch my balance before someone else pushed me and I fell, but luckily someone caught me.

I looked at the person who caught me and realized that is was a boy not much older than me.

"You okay?" he asked me, but before I could answer he continued on, "God, James, could you be more of a klutz?"

The boy in question that I took to be James looked offended, but the girl standing next to him jumped in.

"It wasn't James that rammed into her, it was his ego. It's not his fault," she quipped back to the guy holding me. The boy called James high-fived her and I wondered how smart he was... hadn't she just insulted him? He seemed to finally catch on to what she said because then the boy holding me high-fived her before realizing he was _still_ holding me. He let me go and I got my first good look at the group.

The guy holding me was the tallest with slightly wavy, auburn hair and eyes that were the prettiest light green I had ever seen. His white v-neck shirt revealed a tan and his blue jeans with low top black converse were a great combination. I admired the converse- not quite as good as mine, but better than none.

Next to him stood the guy I thought was called James. He was much shorter, but his messy, black hair made up for it. His green eyes were dark and bright enough that they shone through his scratched up square frame glasses. He wore slightly skinny dark blue jeans, a dark slate gray crew neck, and light gray vans. The last person to make up their group was a girl who looked the same age as me.

She had dirty blond, shoulder length ringlets that made me wonder if she got up every morning and did her hair, but I rejected that idea as I looked down at the rest of her outfit. The light gray skinny jeans were okay, but the dark blue short sleeve shirt with a brown jacket and flip-flops were not impressive. I wouldn't have been surprised if she had just thrown the first things she saw on. Even the guys had better fashion then her. Her brown eyes were really pretty though and I liked the way she pulled off the random outfit.

The boy who was holding me snapped me out of my analytical daydream.

"Wait, no, seriously, are you okay?" he asked. It took me a moment to realize he was talking to me.

"Yes, fine, thanks," I replied quietly. The girl was looking at me much the same way that I had looked at her, except all she seemed to notice was the bag I was carrying from Quality Quidditch Supplies.

"Oh my god, I love that place! What'd you get from there?" she asked. The boy next to me muttered under his breath that she had only been there for the first time today, but she ignored his comment.

"Um, three books about Quidditch- An Intro to Quidditch, Quidditch Through the Ages: Part 1, and Quidditch Through the Ages: Part 2," I replied, hoping that I had said the words right.

"You mean Quidditch? And those books sound awesome. I wanted to get them, but _someone_," she gave a meaningful glare at the boy next to me, "said I had to get my school stuff first."

"Oh, are you going to Hogwarts then?" I asked, hoping she would say yes so that I would know someone, but James answered instead.

"We all are. Whatever would Hogwarts do without us?" He promptly fist-bumped the boy next to me.

"I'm sure Longbottom misses us and our daily detentions loads right now," the boy next to me responded.

"Detention?" I asked. The girl turned to me and rolled her eyes.

"They're probably exaggerating."

I rolled my eyes back at her and we giggled a little- only to laugh more when both boys dropped the smiles on their faces to look serious and said at the same time, "No. No, we are not."

The girl and I glanced at each other again and smiled.

"So, you're going to be a first year?" I asked her.

"Yeah. I'm guessing by the way my brother doesn't know you that you're going to be one too?" she replied and I nodded, but we were interrupted by James somehow pulling another small boy from out of the crowd. He had to be James' younger brother because they had the same exact messy, black hair. The only difference was that his eyes were blue and that he was wearing black jeans and a green, gray, and black flannel. He was holding a large orange bag with three Ws on it and looked utterly happy.

"Look, Al, I found you some friends! Yeah- actual live, breathing ones!" he said as he addressed the smaller boy, "Yeah, I know, thank you thank you and all that. Anyway, Al, meet Amory and... wait. What's your name?" he asked and everyone turned to look at me.

I stood tall and on impulse said "Ryan Mencing." I wanted to kick myself as soon as I said it. I was so used to people reacting to my last name and I didn't want to be defined by my last name in this world too. Luckily, no one seemed to recognize the last name. The relief must have shown on my face. At least here I was just Ryan.

"Well, nice to meet you, Ryan Mencing," James said, "This is my little git of a brother, Albus. More of a pet really." Albus turned and smacked James on the arm before turning back around to us and shyly saying "hi."

The girl and I looked at each other and said, "Hi."

"James, what's _wrong_ with you?" Amory asked.

"A lot," the boy next to me said as if it were the most obvious fact in the world.

James clapped him on the shoulder before playfully shoving him at Albus.

"And this sadly mistaken fellow is Darcy who is, unfortunately, my best mate," James said. I finally knew the name of my 'savior.' Darcy rolled his eyes and then leaned in as James whispered something to him. The two mischievously smiled and nodded before Darcy handed money to Amory and then quickly said:

"Well then, you three. Have fun! Don't blow anything up!"

And then the two of them were gone, leaving us three first-years to fend for ourselves.

I looked at Amory. Amory looked at Albus. Albus looked at me.

As if on cue the three of us burst into laughter, breaking the tension and essentially creating the first bonds of a great friendship.

"How do they _do_ that?" I asked the two of them.

"How do they disappear like that?" Amory asked.

"I have _no_ idea. James has been doing it for years and I _still_ can't do it," Albus answered. The three of us smiled at each other.

"So, where to?" Amory broke the silence. I glanced at Albus and put my hands up.

"Don't look at me, I've never been here before."

Albus had an idea though. He pointed down the alley to a gold and cream stripped awning. "There," he said, "Let's go _there_."

"Um... what is it?" I asked.

Albus looked at me with a smile that immediately put me on guard.

"Prepare to have your mind blown."

"Been there, done that," I said as I smirked and looked around Diagon Alley. The things I had already seen today would have blown not only my mind, but every muggle's mind. Both Albus and Amory nodded in agreement at my comment and the three of us headed towards the awning.

Turns out the awning was a candy store- and that never failed to make me happy. But as I stepped inside I was confused.

"I thought you said this was a candy store," I said. Looking around it did _not_ look like any candy store I had seen before.

"It is!" Albus exclaimed, "Honeydukes is the best there is."

"Then why are there quills here?" I asked. Amory picked up one of the quills I was referring to and tried to hand it to me, but I refused to take it.

"I'm pretty sure that's stealing," I told her.

"Nah, you're with me. They wouldn't care," Albus assured me. Both Amory and I looked at him.

"...why?" asked Amory. Albus looked at the two of us with something akin to disbelief before it disappeared into relief.

"Cause... I practically pay their rent with all the candy I buy here. Seriously, Ry, take the stupid quill," he said, pushing the quill towards me. It didn't escape me that he had just given me a nickname. I loved it.

I took the quill suspiciously and looked at it before slowly trying it. Hallelujah it was AMAZING. Better than anything I had had before. It was like every type of sugary sweet except BETTER.

"Told you," Albus said with smug satisfaction.

"Wait 'till you try a chocolate frog, but be careful, they like to try and escape," Amory chimed in. I barely even processed what she said before I blurted out, "Ohmygoshwhere?" and Amory pointed me off in the right direction.

It took me a couple of minutes to wind my way through the jammed-packed store. When I reached the dark wood shelves that Amory had pointed out to me, I looked up only to find that the chocolate frogs were too high for me to reach- just beyond my grasp. A tall, thin, over-all pale [his skin, his slicked back, ridiculously blond hair], and impeccably dressed [slacks, cobalt button down, black leather Italian dress shoes] boy stood in front of me. He had the same goal as me, but unlike me he was capable of reaching up and grabbing a giant handful of chocolate frogs. Maybe it was the fact that he was wearing the same brand of Italian dress shoes that David loved, but something about him put me at ease.

"Excuse me, could you hand me on of those chocolate frog things?" I asked him, "I've heard they're amazing." He turned around and looked at me with astonishment.

"You've never had one? What are you- a muggle?" he asked as he laughed at his own joke. I looked away and waited for him to stop. Was it bad to be a muggle? Was it bad to have a muggle family? Was that different?

"Here, you've got to try one," he continued as he tossed me a chocolate frog, "It's going to blow your mind!"

"I've heard that a lot today," I said as I caught the package. I eagerly opened the wrapper- too eagerly. What looked like a _live _chocolate frog jumped out straight into the air. I just stared, too shocked to move, but luckily the blond boy neatly caught it in midair. I blinked again.

"Nice reflexes," I said.

"Thanks, I need them for Quidditch," he said and handed my frog back as he continued before I could ask him about Quidditch, "Here. Try it before it jumps away again."

I looked at it skeptically. What if the frog kept jumping in me once I had eaten it? He made a _yes, eat it _motion and I quickly bit in before it could jump away. I couldn't believe it- why was magic candy _so good_? I wanted more! The boy laughed at my reaction just as Amory and Albus had, but then he opened his chocolate frog and it successfully got away from him so I got to have a good laugh back at him.

"I'm Ryan, by the way," I said, realizing that an introduction was long overdue.

"Scorpious," he said as he reached out his hand to shake mine, "Will you be going to Hogwarts?"

"Of course!" I exclaimed, "I'll be a first year. What about you?"

"First year! We'll be classmates then," he said with a grin. I couldn't help but return it. Now I knew three people who would be going to Hogwarts as first years as well.

"Yeah, along with Amory and Albus. They're here too!" I said as I looked around for them.

"Who?" Scorpious asked me, also craning his neck to try and see Amory and Albus who I finally spotted.

"They're right over there- Amory, Albus, come here!" I yelled over to them. When the two of them made it through the crowd I introduced them.

"Scorpious, this is Amory and Albus," I said, pointing to each of them in turn, "Albus, Amory, this is Scorpious. He's a first year too!"

"Awesome," the three of them said at the same time and I couldn't help but laugh. Amory turned to Scorpious and looked him over before smiling again.

"So," she asked, "do you play Quidditch?"

I really needed to find out about this Quidditch, no one could stop talking about it- these people were _obsessed_. Scorpious replied with another word that I had never heard before.

"Seeker."

Albus and Amory replied, "Chaser," and "Keeper," respectively.

What were they _saying?_

"We almost have a full team," Scorpious said. He wasn't helping with my confusion at all and I was pretty sure that it showed, but no one commented- they just kept talking about this _Quidditch_ thing.

"We just need my brother Darcy, he's a beater," said Amory. Scorpious smirked and with a slightly mischievous and competitive spark in his eye said: "Now we just need someone to play against."

Before I could ask for someone to _please_ explain to me what Quidditch was, a voice called out Scorpious' name.

"That's my mother," he said with a frown of disappointment, "I'd better go, but I'll see you guys on the train!" We all called out bye to him as he disappeared and I hoped that maybe the four of us could sit together on the train or something.

Scorpious' leaving seemed to flick the switch from 'fun-time' to reality as we all realized what time it was.

"I'd better go meet my mom. I was supposed to be at Flourish and Blotts five minutes ago," Amory said.

"Same here," Albus replied before adding, "but I'm off to a family lunch at The Leaky Cauldron and it's not something I can get out of."

They both looked at me as though expecting me to say something of the same nature. They obviously thought that I had people waiting for me as well, a family that wanted me back so that we could continue together. But that wasn't the case for me. I had no idea where Professor McGonagall was, nor when she would find me. I had nowhere to go, but I didn't want them to know that so I said,

"Oh, yeah. Me too. So I'll see you guys on the first, right?"

"Definitely! I can't wait," Albus said excitedly.

"Of course! Wouldn't miss it for the world," added Amory.

And with that the three of us split up- Amory to Flourish and Blotts, Albus to The Leaky Cauldron, and me to who knows where.

I wandered around on the street for a few minutes, just soaking up the sights, the smells, the sounds. Just as I was about to pick a random shop to enter I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"There you are, Ms. Mencing."

I turned around to see Professor McGonagall. She continued,

"Come along we have two more errands to run before you must return home."

I followed her down the alley a bit before we came upon a storefront that could be heard and smelled from down the street. Through the windows I could see different types of animals and I assumed it was a pet store. Professor McGonagall walked through the doors and straight to the owls.

"I presume you will want an owl, Ms. Mencing. They are quite useful in sending mail and such and I've found that they always make for quite good company. Feel free to pick any, it is Hogwart's welcoming gift to you," she said and turned around to walk deeper into the store, leaving me in front of the owls to pick one on my own. I didn't know anything about owls and there were so many different types in front of me that I decided to just go on what looked the best.

The owl I picked had a heart shaped face that was white surrounded by light brown feathers. Its chest was pure white, but the outer feathers on the wings and back were different shades of brown with darker brown speckles everywhere.

I looked around for a salesperson to get it down for me when suddenly the cage that held the owl flew out of the shelf, through the store, and landed softly on the table at the register. I stared in shock. _Flying cages?_ There was an old man in a pair of faded black robes at the counter who raised his eyebrows at me and said, "Well, are you gonna pay for the owl or not?"

I hurriedly nodded and rushed over to the counter.

"How much is she?" I asked.

"She is a _he_," the man corrected me, "and _he_ is six galleons."

I fished out the correct amount of galleons and handed them over to him as he slid over the cage containing my new owl. Thank goodness I only had one more day at home before it would be September 1st and I would be off to Hogwarts. There was no way I would be able to hide my owl from the staff at my house for more than one day.

I looked at my owl just as he turned his own head to look directly into my eyes. I blinked and he blinked back. I slowly turned my head to the right and he followed. I couldn't help but laugh at his antics and he hooted right back to me.

"I think we're going to get along," I said to the bird, knowing that I should feel crazy for talking to an owl, but for some reason I didn't. I was sure he knew exactly what I was saying. "I'll call you Odysseus," I continued. I knew it was a rather long and obtuse name, but I could always just call him Ody and the name seemed to fit my situation perfectly.

If Odysseus was capable of facing the god of the ocean without fear, then why couldn't I be capable of facing something as wonderful as magic?

"Ms. Mencing, it's time for your wand," Professor McGonagall said once she had come back.

I shivered with excitement and nerves as we walked towards the shabby looking storefront, but the closer we got to it the more I was filled with nerves and dread.

_What if all of this was wrong? What if I wasn't really magic? _

I was just walking up the stairs when the doors burst open and I looked up to see Amory coming out. She looked thrilled and in awe as she made sparkles come out of the new, shiny wand. I became even more terrified. _If I didn't get a wand, would I never see Amory again? Or Albus or Scorpious? _They would think I was some sort of fool.

"Good luck," Amory whispered to me as we passed each other. I couldn't even muster the courage to nod back to her and when I turned around to say "yeah," or something equally as intelligent, I realized Professor McGonagall was still at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'll stay here. Getting a wand is a deeply personal experience and not one that I am willing to barge in on," she said and turned her back. I wanted to protest, to _insist_ that she accompany me so that I wouldn't be in there, so that I wouldn't have to hear the truth- that I was really a muggle all along- alone. But I didn't. I turned around to the door. It had an old, worn out sign that said 'Ollivander's Wands. Seven Galleons."

I gave myself a minute to take a deep breath before pushing open the door.

The shop was musky and dark and I felt as though the temperature had dropped ten degrees when I walked in. Before I could so much as take a step more into the store an old man appeared in front of me and said,

"Ah, Ms. Mencing, I see. You are the last to come. I wouldn't have guessed that originally," he said. I looked at him strangely. What was he saying?

"I am Mr. Ollivander. I will give you wands to try, but know that the wand picks the witch. I have no influence," he continued, almost as if he were giving me a warning. Was he warning me that he couldn't do anything if no wand picked me? Was I already doomed to fail?

Two hours later I was positive I was. There were nine long, narrow walls of wands- each wall was stacked with what looked like hundreds of wands. I knew there were that many at least because I had already gone through _every single one_ of the wands on those nine walls.

All had failed and I was close to tears.

"So that's it?" I said, "I'm not a witch? This was all a MISTAKE?"

Before I could get anymore worked up, Mr. Ollivander interrupted me.

"Ms. Mencing, calm down. All is not lost. I wonder... no... well, I may as well try," he said and then wandered off to the back of the store where I could barely make out him going up stairs.

He was leaving me then? Going to get himself a cup of coffee while I stood down here with my heart crushed? I heard him walk back down the stairs then.

In his hands was the most worn, ratty box I had ever seen in my life. Every wand in his shop had failed- so now he was going to give me a ratty cardboard box to make up for it? What was in there- a leaf? I would go down in history as the only witch to have a magic _leaf_.

He handed the box to me in silence, almost reverence, and waited for me to open it. Slowly I did and instead of the piece of trash I expected I saw the most beautiful wand of all the ones that I had seen today- and that was over a thousand. The wood was glossy, as if it had been shined to perfection over and over again. It had a red hue to it and was long and thin. I carefully picked it up and as soon as it touched my palm the wand emitted a golden explosion that burst out horizontally in a thin line that lit up the shop. I laughed out loud and shyly smiled at it. I knew without Mr. Ollivander telling me that I had found my wand.

"My lord," he breathed out, "I don't believe it. After all this time.."

"What?" I asked, "What's so weird?"

"Ms. Mencing, you are holding what is known amongst wand makers as 'The Challenge.' That wand was one of the first in creation- centuries, millenniums even, old. For thousands of years it had passed around the world from one wand store to the next without finding an owner. Wand experts have examined it and found no reason for why no wizard had been picked by it. The wand is perfect, impeccable really, and there is no defect that would make it unable to pick someone. So they gave up on trying to find an answer and just let it drift around the globe," Mr. Ollivander said as he looked at me curiously as if I was the odd one here and not him, "The timing in itself is odd as well. For the first time ever my store has received this wand to pass around- and it only arrived just yesterday. For it to choose you _now_, is just, well, incredible. Not to mention the incident that happened with the last young lady who just came in here."

"Amory?" I asked him; shocked that something strange had happened to her as well.

"Ms. Amory Finch, correct. I'm not sure what's in store for you, Ms. Mencing, or for her, but I am glad that I am here to witness it," Mr. Ollivander reached out to wand and just barely caressed it as he murmured, "precisely 7 inches, cherry wood, thestral hair. Not another wand was made like this. It is the last one-of-a-kind wand in existence that we know of."

With that he ignored the questions I started to ask him and walked to the back of the shop and up the stairs. I looked at my wand again and then placed the obligatory seven galleons on his counter-top before walking out of the store and to Professor McGonagall.

_Thank Goodness_ today was Saturday and on Monday I would be on my way to Hogwarts.

I couldn't wait.


	4. Chapter 2 Amory

Hey all! So there is usually going to be a small gap between Ryan's perspective and Amory's although it will never be too long. I also think that the dialogue is worth mentioning. As Ryan and Amory share the same world, the dialogue will be the same, but it can (and undoubtedly will) be perceived differently by both characters. So… without further ado… here is Ames' perspective on her trip to Diagon Alley.

Remi

Disclaimer: We don't own anything except our plot and characters! JK Rowling is the amazing genius behind that. We only chose for our characters to live in the world she created.

Chapter two- Amory

The acid green flames obscured Darcy for a minute, and when they died down, he was gone. I had seen others travel by Floo Powder a hundred times, but I had never actually done so. Ellie gave my shoulder a squeeze as I took a step closer to the fireplace.

"You know what to do sweetie," She said. "You have to annunciate your words and make sure you say them clearly," I took another step forward. I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was marching into my own death.

"I know you have heard all this a thousand times, but as a mom, it's my job to tell you again," I took one more step and duked into the fireplace. I could only see Ellie's legs from inside. Rob always complained that he bumped his head every time he tried to step out. He said the low celling made him feel like an elf.

"Keep your legs in so they don't hit anything, and I would advise closing your eyes," Ellie was saying. "I'm going to hand you the powder now," She stepped out of view for a second, and then her hand was reaching under the cobblestone wall to place the powder in my shaking hands.

"Oh Ames you'll be fine. Don't worry. Remember what I said. And not breathing helps too," I nodded even though I knew she couldn't see it. The fireplace smelled of soot and burning wood. The left over flames from when Darcy had gone licked at my feet playfully. I took a deep breath. _Here we go_, I thought. I let the floo powder drop in front of me, and the green flames swirled up blocking my vision. A strange ticking sensation enclosed me. I yelled, closing me eyes as I did so, in the clearest, loudest voice I could muster:

"DIAGON ALLEY."

At first I thought I was in the wrong place. All I could see in front of me were stacks and stacks of precariously piled books. Reminding myself to breathe, I lay pressed against the floor, my feet still in the fireplace I had come out of. I was just starting to attempt moving into a sitting position when a hand shoved a stack of books aside and called out in a loud gravely voice,

"Marry, I told you. Don't put so many bloody books in front of the fireplace! People actually come in through there."

A hand holding one of those "bloody books" appeared to the man's right and smacked him on the side of the head. He rolled his eyes, noticed me, and put out his hand. I took it without saying anything.

"Sorry 'bout that," he said in his deep voice. All I could do was nod. Ellie came walking gracefully out of the fireplace a few seconds later. She thanked the man politely, before hastily turning to brush the dirt off of me.

"Mom," I complained, "Cut it out!" As I said it, Darcy appeared from behind a shelf.

"Finally. You took forever. I'm going to go."

"Where exactly?" Ellie said disapprovingly.

"To look for…" But Ellie wouldn't let him finish.

"I want you to take Ames around to get her things: quills, a cauldron, and potions ingredients. I'm going to get some gold out of Gringots, and then buy some things I need for the house. I'll get you both quills and parchment and then we will meet back here in an hour and a half. Understood?" Darcy started to protest, but stopped at the look Ellie gave him. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to the front of the shop. I learned the bookstore was called Flourish and Blotts from a sign written in beautiful calligraphy above the checkout desk. Before I could pause to look around the store, however, Darcy pushed me out the door and into the sunlight alley.

Diagon Alley was nothing like I had expected it to be. It was covered in colors that reminded me of fall, and the majority of the people were wearing robes and hats. They were all talking loudly in order to be heard over everyone else.

All the buildings were pressed tightly together with little balconies on top and closed curtains where the owners lived. Displays were out in front of almost every store and witches and wizards selling candy and other small things yelled advertisements and deals to be heard over the din. I stood still for a minute, speechless, letting the new scenery wash over me.

"Wow," I whispered. Darcy glanced at me, and the irritation vanished from his face as he saw my expression.

"Oh yeah. I forgot you've never been here before. Pretty cool, huh?" I just stared at him, overwhelmed, and then my eyes narrowed in on something in the distance. I couldn't make out the words on the maroon sign, but I could distinctly see the symbol on it. And the symbol looked a lot like a broomstick.

"Over here!" I said excitedly as I pulled Darcy in he direction of the store. He rolled his eyes, and I was sure that he knew where I was going.

"Ames, we can go in there later. Let's get your stuff first. Besides, you just got your new broomstick. You don't need to look at…" I pushed him inside anyway. According to the sign with the broomstick on it, I was inside Quality Quidditch Supplies. It was packed with people trying to order the magnificent broom displayed in the window. Even Darcy gave it a sidelong look of longing as he passed. I pushed through the crowd to the section of the store I wanted. A cobalt green book was lying on a table of the same color. The title was written in narrow yellow handwriting: Quidditch Through the Ages Part II.

"Like you need that!" Said Darcy scornfully over my shoulder. "You already know how to ride a broom. I doubt there's anything in there that you don't already know!"

"What? Are you jealous?" I teased, and Darcy rolled his eyes at me.

"You wish! Now, we can come back here later, but let's get the things you actually _need_ first."

"Promise?" I knew I sounded like a three year old, but I didn't care. Darcy rolled his eyes again.

"Yeah sure. Whatever lets you sleep at night," he said, before dragging me out of the shop. He took one look around outside, and a sudden smile lit up his face.

"HEY!" He yelled over the hustle and bustle of the alley. "YOU!" A boy, about ten yards away, looked up at the sound of his voice. He was standing under the awning of a dazzlingly brightly lit shop painted all the colors of the rainbow. There was a huge flashing sign on the front that told me what the shop was called Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. As soon as the boy standing in front saw Darcy, he laughed and ran over, bumping into several people, but either not caring, or not noticing that he did so.

He had a mess of black hair that desperately needed to be brushed. His green eyes were almost completely hidden by the combination of his hair and glasses. He was slightly skinny, and a bit short for a normal twelve year old. Colliding with Darcy mid-stride, the two of them tumbled into a display of fancy looking navy and violet quills behind them. The new boy untangled himself and stood up, brushing imaginary dust off of his jeans. He turned to look at me, then at the display, and back to me.

"Oops," he said. Darcy burst out laughing, and the new boy gave him his hand, helping him to his feet.

"I'm sure glad to see you!" Darcy said. "I want to buy something at Triple W, and you still owe me from that bet where you…" The new boy turned slightly pink and looked over his shoulder at me.

"All right. All right. I lost. Fine," He said quickly, but he still sounded annoyed.

"Hey, it's not my fault your pants caught on fire and you were wearing…"

"Darc, SHUT UP!" He was completely red in the face now, as he shot another totally humiliated look at me. Darcy grinned, and put out his hand. The new boy sighed, reached into his pocket and pulled out five gold coins. He handed them to Darcy who took them gratefully. Then, remembering me, Darcy turned.

"Oh sorry Ames," he pointed to the boy who was now glaring at him, "Amory. James. James. Amory," I smiled at James who grinned sheepishly back at me, his face still a little pink.

"You can pretend that you didn't hear that," he said, as Darcy roared with laughter. James shot him a look.

"Where are you going?" He asked, and I could tell he was trying to change the subject.

"Probably to get potions stuff first. It's the closest. Then robes and a cauldron for this one," Darcy pointed at me.

"Cool," James responded. "I'll come then. I'm running low on… Well, everything."

"Really?" Darcy asked. "But you were the one with the most left at the end of last year," James shrugged and Darcy's eyes widened.

"You didn't!"

"There's a rule against magic. There's no rule against making potions," A mischievous smile twirled the corners of James' lips. Darcy and I both laughed.

"So you're his little sister?" James fell into step beside me as we started walking.

"Yep," I answered.

"I'm so sorry," James said, loud enough to make Darcy turn his head to glare at the pair of us. James snickered.

"What house do you want to be in?" He asked.

"What house do you think I want to be in!"

"Ha! Well, I still think that Darc should have been in Hufflepuff. A fine addition to the beaver clan," Darcy stopped and turned this time, arms folded across his chest.

"Just because the hat _considered_ placing me in Huffelpuff does not mean that I have to endure another year of you going crazy about it!" he said, but James just smiled and turned away. As he stepped back, he knocked into another girl who had been standing behind him. She started to fall, but Darcy caught her.

She had stick straight brown hair that went all the way down to her skinny waist. Her eyes were gray, bordering on silver. She had pale skin and her expression was more then slightly nervous. Her eyes were wide, like she couldn't believe that what she was seeing was real.

"You okay?" Darcy asked. Then he turned to James. "God James could you be more of a klutz?"

"It wasn't James that rammed into her, it was his ego. It's not his fault," I said. James high-fived me and then realized what I had said. His face fell, and for a second, he looked hopelessly confused. Laughing, Darcy high-fived me. Realizing that he was still holding the new girl, he released her. She stood and looked around at all of us.

"Wait no seriously. Are you okay?" Darcy asked her.

"Yes, fine thanks," The girl said quietly but with a strange tone of authority in her voice. I looked down and my eyes lit up. The girl was holding a bag that had the words Quality Quidditch Supplies written on it.

"Oh my god I love that place! What'd you get from there?" I said excitedly ignoring Darcy's comment about how I had only been there once. The girl looked down at the bag and then back up at me a bit shyly.

"Um, three books about Quidditch- An Intro to Quidditch, Quidditch Through the Ages: Part 1, and Quidditch Through the Ages: Part 2," She replied. I frowned at her as she mispronounced Quidditch. I looked at Darcy. He was giving her a quizzical look. When I looked at James, however, the look on his face said that he had realized something that we hadn't.

"You mean Quidditch?" I asked her, "And those books sounds awesome. I wanted to get them, but _someone_ said I had to go get my school stuff first."

I glared at Darcy and he shrugged in response, grinning a little. The new girl brightened at the mention of the school.

"Oh are you going to Hogwarts then?" She asked in her quiet authoritative voice. Before I could speak, James said:

"We all are. Whatever would Hogwarts to without us?" He fist-bumped Darcy who laughed. _This should be good_, I thought watching my brother and his friend.

"I'm sure Longbottom misses us and our daily detentions loads right now," I knew my brother was probably exaggerating so I rolled my eyes at the other girl.

"Detention?" She asked, her eyebrows knitting together.

"They are probably exaggerating," I said in what I hoped was a calm voice. Darc had never mentioned detention to me before. We both giggled nervously.

"No," The two boys said in unison. They both had equally serious expressions on their faces. "No we are not." I smiled at Ryan, trying to tell her without words not to take my brother too seriously.

"So," She said, and her voice had lost a bit of the authority now, "you're going to be a first year?"

"Yeah. I'm guessing by the way my brother doesn't know you that you're going to be one too?" She simply nodded. James brightened and reached his hand into the crowd like he was fishing for something. A few seconds later it reappeared holding the shirt of a small black haired boy that had to be his brother.

He was the mirror image of James, except for his eyes which were a sparkling shade of light blue. And he was slightly taller, even though if was obvious that he was the younger brother. Besides that, they would have been almost exactly alike except for their clothing.

James was wearing slightly shinny dark jeans and a gray crew neck that together formed an effortless look that somehow clashed perfectly with his messy hair. His brother's flannel and black jeans portrayed someone who cared for comfort more then clothes. In one hand, James' brother held a bag that from Tripple W, and the other hand was busy keeping James from strangling him.

"Look Al I found you some friends. Yeah- actual live, breathing ones!" James was saying. "Yeah I know, thank you thank you and all that. Anyway, Al, meet Amory and… wait. What's your name?" He turned to the girl standing next to me.

"Ryan Mencing," She said and the quiet authority was back, sounding louder then ever.

"Well," James said with an overdramatic bow, "Nice to meet you Ryan Mencing. This is my little git of a brother- Albus. More of a pet really," Albus smacked James on the arm before turning to Ryan and me.

"Hi," He said with his hands in his pockets. I glanced at Ryan and she glanced at me.

"Hi."

We said in unison.

"James," I said as I processed what he had said when introducing his brother, "What's _wrong_ with you?"

"A lot," Said Darcy knowledgeably. James clapped Darcy on the shoulder before shoving him in Albus' face. Albus took a shaky step backwards looking worried.

"And this sadly mistaken fellow is Darcy who is unfortunately my best mate."

Darcy rolled his eyes. James proceeded to whisper something into Darcy's ear. For ten seconds Darcy listened, a slow smile spreading across his face. He nodded and handed me some money.

"Well then you three. Have fun! Don't blow anything up!" And with that, James and Darcy melted into the crowd. I looked at Albus who looked at Ryan who looked at me. Then, simultaneously, the three of us burst out laughing.

"How do they _do_ that?" Ryan asked.

"How do they disappear like that?" I said, dumbfounded.

"I have_ no _idea. James has been doing it for years and I _still_ can't do it." Albus said with longing evident in his voice. We smiled at each other.

"So, where to?"

"Don't look at me," Said Ryan, putting her hands up, "I've never been here before."

We were all silent for a second. Then Albus pointed down the lane at a gold and cream stripped awning.

"There. Let's go there."

"Um… what is it?" Ryan asked cautiously. Albus answered with a mischievous smile.

"Prepare to have your mind blown."

"Been there, done that," Ryan said. I smiled.

I looked around at the candy that stacked the shelves. I had never seen so much color in my life. If the alley had been colorful, this was a color explosion. Rows and rows of candy lined the walls and more lay around in barrels and bags and buckets. Some were even hanging suspended overhead seemingly held up by nothing more then air.

"I thought you said this was a candy store," Said Ryan, looking confused.

"It is! Honeydukes is the best there is," Albus said with a pompous air of importance about him. Ryan glanced at him, obviously still confused.

"Then why are there quills here?" She asked.

I looked at Albus and understood. I could tell by Albus' expression that he knew as well. Ryan didn't seem to notice our silent communication. After a second, I picked up one of the sugar quills beside me and tried to hand it to her.

"Here. Taste it," I said. Ryan refused to take the quill.

"I'm pretty sure that's stealing," She said warily. I was about to retort, but Albus responded before I could.

"Nah you're with me. They wouldn't care," He shrugged.

"Why?" Ryan and I said. Albus looked at us with an expression mingled with shock and relief.

"Cause…" He paused and then continued more confidently, "I practically pay their rent with all the candy I buy here. Seriously Ry, take the stupid quill," Ryan took the quill and looked at it suspiciously. She then glanced at us with disbelieving eyes. Al and I nodded encouragingly at her, our heads shaking up and down like bobble heads. Still unsure, Ryan put the tip of the quill on her tongue. Her face immediately contorted from skeptical to shock in a split second. Albus and I burst out laughing. Ryan looked too happy to care as she devoured the rest of the quill.

"Told you," Albus giggled.

"Wait 'till you try a chocolate frog, but be careful they like to try and escape," I teased, sending Albus into another fit of giggles. Ryan ignored his laughter, and turned to me.

"Ohmygoshwhere?" Albus pointed her in the right direction and Ryan practically sprinted off. As soon as she was gone, Albus turned to face me.

"Do you know who her parents are?" He asked.

"Why does it matter?"

"No, no! I didn't mean it like that! I was just wondering if you knew she was…" I nodded and he continued, "Was a muggleborn."

Of course I knew. For a second, I wasn't sure how to answer. Albus didn't seem like a bad person, but you never knew and I didn't know what Ryan would have wanted me to say. She had caught on to the wizarding world pretty quickly, but I guess it was impossible for her to fake it completely. I wondered what she would do if she knew who my parents were… what my own Mother had done to girls like her.

"Hard not to notice," I said. Albus nodded thoughtfully, then brightened.

"Can't wait until she sees Quidditch."

"You missed the part where she mispronounced Quidditch… I've never heard a word mangled so badly. Wait- do you play?"

"Yeah, course," Albus said. "Everyone in my family does!"

"Your family?" I asked. Albus looked uncomfortable.

"Uh… so do you play?" He had avoided my question and I knew it, but I didn't really care. I would have done the same thing.

"Yeah- Keeper," I said, smiling to let him believe that he had successfully sidetracked me.

"Chaser," Albus grinned and gave me a high five. Our conversation dissolved into a intense discussion about the rules of Quidditch.

"Amory, Albus, come here!" Ryan's voice carried over to us and we looked over to see her standing by the chocolate frog section talking to a pale slightly tall blonde boy. A chocolate frog was hoping around at his feet, but he appeared not to notice.

As Ryan called us over, he looked up at us, and his eyes locked with mine for a brief second. They were a grayish blue color that looked strangely familiar. Curious, I walked over to him, Albus right behind me.

"Scorpious, this is Amory and Albus. Albus, Amory, this is Scorpious. He's a first year too!" I could tell that Ryan was absolutely thrilled to meet another first year.

"Awesome!" Scorpious, Albus, and I said together. We smiled at each other.

"So, do you play Quidditch?" I asked Scorpious eagerly.

"Seeker," He replied proudly.

"Chaser," Albus said equally as proud.

"Keeper," I added.

"We almost have a full team," Scorpious noted.

"We just need my brother Darcy, he's a beater," I said happily.

"Now we just need someone to play against," Scorpious said, and I saw challenge flash through his eyes. He looked like he was about to say something else, but suddenly, from the depths of the shop, a women's stern voice called his name.

"That's my mother, I'd better go, but I'll see you guys on the train!" Scorpious said hurriedly.

Scorpious disappeared through the rows of candy. I looked at the licorice clock overhead and swallowed a moan.

"I'd better go meet my mom. I was supposed to be at Flourish and Blotts five minutes ago," I said. I had none of my school stuff. I had no idea where Darcy was and I had no clue how to get back to Flourish and Blotts. I faked a smile.

"Same here, but I'm off to a family lunch at The Leaky Cauldron and it's not something I can get out of," Said Al. Darcy had told me of The Leaky Cauldron's legendary food, and how the rooms were always bathed in half-darkness. I looked at Ryan, wondering what she was going to be doing and if maybe she could come with me to lunch and to get my school things.

"Oh, yeah. Me too. So I'll see you guys on the first, right?" She said before I could ask.

"Definitely! I can't wait," Albus said, smiling broadly.

"Of course!" I said, a little disappointed. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

I stood outside, totally overwhelmed by the stores and people around me. Deciding I would need to ask someone, I glanced around the alley. At first, all I could see were people bustling past in a hurry. Then, I noticed one women standing near a store that sold weird hats with stars and funny symbols on them. She had long wavy pale blonde hair, and she was smiling serenely, watching the people pass by. I walked over to stand near her, and for a second, I thought about just picking a direction and hoping for the best. But as I looked down the vast alley I knew I would be hopelessly lost if I did so.

"Excuse me…" I said in a quiet voice I was sure the women wouldn't be able to hear. However, she glanced at me and smiled.

"Hello," She said sympathetically, like she already knew how I was feeling.

"Um… I'm looking for Flourish and Blotts… I got separated… um… lost… from my brother. Do you know..."

"Walk down a bit to the left. It's on the left side. Walk past Madame Malkims and you'll see it,"

"Thanks," I said, and started walking away.

"Good luck," She responded.

"Hopefully I won't need it," I responded.

"Oh, I didn't mean finding the store," She said. "That should be easy. Nice meeting you," She skipped away, melting into the crowd

"Just when things were starting to make sense," I muttered to myself.

As I entered Flourish and Blotts, I could already hear Darcy and Ellie arguing. My initial relief at finding the store dissolved as I heard my name. Ellie had spotted me.

"Amory, sweetie, thank god! I can't believe Darcy lost you. Where were you?" I opened my mouth to come up with some sort of excuse but she didn't let me. "I was so worried. When your brother showed up with your things and you weren't with him... I just about fainted… I was just so worried…" Darcy appeared behind her and I gave him a meaningful look.

"Thank me later," He muttered to me. I smiled at him in thanks, and turned back to listen to Ellie, who was still talking (as usual).

"Honey, we are going to take you to get your robes now. I'll come with you. Darcy, you can go meet your friends-" Darcy rolled his eyes at me and I stifled a laugh, "-While I take Ames to get her robes. Okay? So go. Now. Before I change my mind," Darcy fled, and I followed Ellie out the door.

"What about lunch?" I asked her.

"Are you hungry?" Ellie asked me.

"Yeah… a bit. It can wait though until after-"

"Don't be ridiculous. Here. Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. You can have dessert first," I just nodded, my mind going over the last two hours events. So much had happened, and I hadn't even started school yet. The doubt about fitting in had completely disapparated, leaving me almost giddy with excitement for the coming years.

As I left the shop, eating a large ice cream cone, I noticed a small shabby looking store. Ellie was ranting again- something about lopsided cauldrons.

"Mom?" I asked.

"Yes, honey?"

"Can I go explore for a bit. Only like fifteen minutes. I won't go far from Fortescue's I promise. Please let me go. You can go get my robes, and then... what else do I need?

"Only a wand after that... but honey, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with you..."

"Please Mom. I'm not a little kid anymore. Please! Please! Please!" I begged. My puppy eyes must have worked because Ellie sighed a sigh of surrender.

"Fine Ames," She said, "But be back at Fortescue's in fifteen minutes! If you aren't there you are going to be grounded before you even start school. And don't test me on that..." Before she could continue I gave her a hug and quickly walked away. I knew she was watching me so I walked closer to the Stationary Store. I didn't think she would approve of me wanting to go into the shabby store next to it. When I looked back, Ellie was gone. I smiled to myself, and ran to the store. It didn't have a sign over the top, but that only made me more intrigued to go inside.

It was dimly lit and the walls were a bit damp.

"Hello?" I called. No answer came. My voice echoed around the walls, sounding a bit errie. I looked for any sign for someone working there but there wasn't any. A small book with a leather cover caught my eye. I picked it up. It was titled: Prefects Who Gained Power. _Okay then,_ I thought. The book was sitting on a table. A beautiful gold and red carpet covered half of the table, but the other half was piled with books.

Every book looked like the one I picked up: duty, worn, and second-hand. I read each of the titles carefully but none of them sounded extremely interesting. That is, until I picked up a book with a purple cover. It had some sort of dark red stain and the binding was gold thread. Rare Magic. That was the title. Underneath there were weird small shapes that I couldn't make out. I opened to the first page and found what was clearly a table of contents. One problem. It was written in another language.

I wasn't sure what it was, but curiosity got the better of me. I walked through the musty room to what I supposed was the check out desk. There was still no sign of anyone else. I peered around the desk. The shop seemed to just melt into eternity and it was more then a bit creepy. I jumped as I heard a small hooting noise, coming from the other side of the room. I walked over carefully, my hands shaking slightly. Sitting near a cracked window, on top of an odd looking book with fangs and a belt tied around it, sat a pair of bright yellow eyes.

She was staring directly at me. As I got closer, she came into better focus. She was slightly small and reminded me a bit of a beach ball. Her feathers were a combination of brown, black, and cream and she had distinctive black markings around her oval-shaped eyes. I walked to her slowly, and she looked at me, almost incredulously. As I approached, she hooted softly, maybe in warning, but didn't move from her perch. I stopped directly in front of her She looked at me and I held my breathe. Then, with a flutter of wings, she flew onto my shoulder. I laughed and stroked her feathers.

"Ahem..." I jumped as a voice behind me spoke. I turned to see an older women with a crooked smile and flashing turquoise eyes.

"I'm..." I started to say, but she cut me off.

"I've never seen Bri allow anyone to touch her before in years- not even me. She likes you," The women smiled, and I smiled a bit nervously back.

"Is that her name?" I asked, looking affectionately at the bird on my shoulder.

"Brianni," the girl said, "Stupid name... my mother named her. And I always hated the name, but when she passed, the owl wouldn't answer to anything else. So she's Bri now. She hasn't let anyone touch her in years," I looked at her.

"How much is she?" I asked quietly. I only had a few galleons with me (I had spent most of it at Honeydukes), and I knew I wouldn't be able to afford her.

"For you? I would say free, as long as you buy that book you have with you," she gestured to the "Rare Magic" book I was still holding. I looked at her in shock.

"Really? It's fine I can pay..." I started, but the women shook her head.

"You have no idea what it's like to see Bri happy. She's like a piece of my mom," I wondered why she was telling me all of this. The women pushed her short blonde hair out of her face, and gestured to the book.

"You know how to read ruins?" She asked me.

"What?"

"Ancient ruins... that's what the book is written in. Well... some sort of ancient language. This is only a second-hand shop anyway. It's actually called Junk Shop. Can you believe that... who would name a shop junk shop? It sounds like it carries... well... look around... that should give you a clue," She smiled a bit ruefully.

"I like this place," I said. She smiled at me. "I'm Amory," I extended my hand. She shook it.

"Janie," She said.

"Pretty name," I smiled at her.

"Likewise," She returned it.

"So I guess I'm buying the owl and the book then..."

"Yes. Two galleons."

"That's nothing! You're basically giving them both away," I said. She laughed.

"Believe me, I've been waiting to give that bird away for years. It will help me let go I guess..." I nodded, understanding. I pulled out the money and placed it on the table. She took it and put it in a drawer. Then she straightened up and looked at me as if she was surprised to see me still standing there.

"Thanks," I said.

"No," She smiled, "Don't thank me. You're lucky, you know... to have your whole life ahead of you... Do yourself a favor and don't waste it."

"Wasn't planning on it," I grinned and Janie laughed. "Thank you. Seriously. I'll come back and visit." She nodded, but she was already retreating into the back of the store. I turned to go outside and meet Ellie.

Proudly, I handed the cage that contained my brand new owl to Ellie. We had bought the cage in a shop called Eeylops Owl Emporium. Bri had hooted indignantly when Ellie tried to put her in the cage, but when I tried, she had obliged. When I handed her to Ellie she gave me a death stare but stayed silent.

I opened the door to Ollivanders, and somewhere in the depths of the shop, a bell chimed. Ellie stayed outside as I entered the store. It was a dusty small shop with at least fifteen shelves carrying long black boxes. As I reached the desk in the front of the store, a small old man came out of one one of the aisles.

"Hi. I'm…"

"Amory Finch," The man said. It wasn't a question. I had been told a thousand times what Ollivander looked like, but I still wasn't quite prepared for the shock. He looked too old to be purely human, yet there was a certain grace about the way he stood and spoke.

"Yes… How do you-" I didn't complete the sentence for a long black box had soared off the shelf causing the ones underneath it to tumble down with a crash. I ducked just in time, and the box flew over my head, smashing through the window and shattering the glass behind me. My mouth hung open like a fish. My apology (for what, I wasn't exactly sure) was lost in the pure shock of the moment. The window was shattered, shards of glass spilling out into the alley. More then a few people passing by stared at the window and at me. Ollivander, however, simply waved his hand, and the window repaired itself. Then, he hurried outside, quickly retrieved the box, and came back inside to face me. The box struggled to escape his grasp, but he held onto it firmly.

"Stand still," He said to me. Before I could protest, he let the box go. Once again, it flew directly at me. I kept my feet rooted to the spot, but closed my eyes, waiting to be impaled. After a second, I heard Ollivander muttering to himself. Opening my eyes a crack, I saw that the box was now on the ground, and a wand was a half inch away from my nose, suspended in midair.

"Curious," Said Ollivander, cocking his head to the side slightly. "Very Curious."

"Um… Sorry… What should I do with this?" I said awkwardly, gesturing to the wand.

"Well, pick it for starters. Unless you want it in your face like that," I took the wand in my hand. Immediately, a tingly warmth spread throughout my body. It was like I had taken a large gulp of Butterbeer, only a hundred times more powerful. The force of it almost knocked me off my feet.

"Wow," I breathed.

"The wand choses the wizard," Ollivander said, wonder encased in his voice, "That will be seven galleons."

"Wait… What if I don't want this wand?" I said, eyeing it nervously. It gave a squirm in my hand, as if to say _NO!_

"The wand picked you. You don't get a choice in the matter. That will be seven galleons."

"This wand seems to have a mind of its own."

"It's its own body! But it does not have a mind," He said, thoroughly confusing me.

"What do you-" Ollivander took the wand from me. Immediately, it started twisting in his hand.

"Rowan wood. Unicorn hair. Supple. _Exactly _seven inches... well, I think it has made it's decision quite clear. It's loyal, that wand. It won't leave you without a fight," He said, letting the wand go. Instead of falling, it soared to me happily, and I caught it with my right hand. It twirled itself around a bit, before settling down and becoming still.

"Okay," I said more to myself then to Ollivander, "Seven galleons" The wand gave a small twitch like it was nodding, encouraging me. I squinted at it and a sudden wave of unexpected affection spread through me. I smiled.

"Are wands always this… for lack of a better word… crazy?" I asked and Ollivander laughed a small knowing laugh.

"Oh no. This is unusual. Wands don't usually act this freely. That wand's a fighter… that must say something about you, Amory Finch. The wand chooses the wizard," Suddenly, I had a burning desire to ask him everything he knew about wands- everything there _was_ to know about wands. I had a strange connection with my wand that was similar to way I felt with my broomstick. It understood me in its own way, and I was determined to find a way to understand it in return.

"Mr. Ollivander? How do you know-" I started to ask but the old man cut me off.

"Ah, but no one knows Miss Finch. The connection is different for everyone," He gave me that same knowing smile ignoring the look of surprise on my face as he he correctly anticipated my question. "Now, that will be seven galleons."

I nodded absently and fished the money Ellie had given me out of my pocket. I was about to leave- I had already opened the door- when I thought of one more question that I couldn't help but ask.

"Mr. Ollivander?"

"Yes?"

"You said… you said that this has only happened… that what my wand did… it was unusual. How many times have you seen it happen? How common is it?" _How common am I?_ It was the unspoken question, but Ollivander understood it instantly and perfectly.

"I? I have only seen it once, but that is not to be said that it hasn't happened more then that. As for when, a very, very long time ago. I wasn't always the frail old man that you see before you," He smiled wryly at me, and I looked at him sharply, my mind grappling for a minute. As the realization crashed over me, I gasped in a combination of admiration and respect.

"It was you?"

"Goodbye Miss Finch. I think it can be said that you have a magical future awaiting you," With that, the seemingly frail old man turned and disappeared down the shelves. My head still reeling, I turned to leave, and came face to face with Ryan. Her eyes were darting around nervously, and her hands were shaking. She looked, in one word, downright terrified.

"Good luck," I said quietly. If I had been excited for Hogwarts, it was nothing compared to what I felt now. _You have a magical future awaiting you_, he had said. As I entered into the sunlight alley, I wondered how he knew. I felt light-headed, but in a good way as I proceeded down the street through the swirl of color and people. I didn't know how it could get any better. As far as I was concerned, my life already _was_ magical


End file.
